Hurricane Sandy: Making the best out of the worst

Hurricane Sandy swept across the east coast causing much devastation to many areas including south Jersey. Kean student and criminal justice major Norman Stanley lives in Sayreville, located in south Jersey. Stanley is one of the more fortunate people, although he did lose power for quite some time.

Junior Norman Stanley.Photo credit: Dominique Vinas

“It was expected to be down for at least a week because the generator that gave us power is under water so it can’t be fixed,” Stanley said.

Stanley and his family couldn’t buy a generator, so they suffered without power. Both Stanley and his parents had low gas in their cars, so they had to choose wisely where to drive. They only went to the supermarket using one car to stock up on groceries and necessities.

Stanley’s family was also without a phone until his father was able to finally get gas after some of the chaos terminated, allowing Stanley to charge his phone through the car to check his e-mails and updates. Also, Stanley usually goes to the gym on a regular basis, but he wasn’t able to go all week. However, the New York Sports Club, which isn’t his gym, was allowing people who were without power to attend for free.

Stanley said that instead of moping around feeling sorry for himself, he was thankful his friends and family were safe and he took advantage of the opportunity to spend time with them. He expressed how Hurricane Sandy showed him how much his daily life can be affected by power and gas and how he would never take it for granted again.

“The positive side of this all was that the storm helped me bond with my family and friends, and my prayers go out to all of those who aren’t as fortunate as I am.”